Page 103 of Lies and Lullabies
“You said a bad word,” Vivi said, climbing onto the bed.
“Sorry,” I said, catching my breath. “But your horse scared me.”
“He likes it when you call him Testicle.”
Kira groaned. “What time is it?”
“Time to make the pancakes!” I gave her hip a squeeze.
“With strawberries,” Vivi added. “And whipped cream.”
“Whipped cream?” I asked.
“No whipped cream,” Kira mumbled into the pillow. “I need coffee.”
“I can probably figure that out,” I said, getting out of the bed. I found my jeans and stepped into them.
“I know where the filters are,” Vivi volunteered. “Can I push the button?” She ran out of the room.
I leaned over Kira, kissing the back of her neck. “I like waking up in your bed.”
She opened her eyes and smiled at me. And it was better than strawberry pancakes. Or even whipped cream.
* * *
The morning went too fast.I drank coffee sitting on the living room floor, listening to Vivi talk about her horse. Fulfilling the promise that I’d extracted with underhanded tactics, Kira made four-grain strawberry pancakes after her father woke up.
Somehow, she even made Vivi’s pancake come out in the shape of a heart.
“Make Daddy a heart, too!” Vivi demanded. “They taste better.”
I bit back a cheesy comment about getting Kira’s heart. “I like the taste of round ones,” I said instead. Kira was already slaving in the kitchen because I’d asked her to.
“Here you go,” she said, handing me a stack of three pancakes with butter oozing between them. “Troublemaker,” she whispered under her breath.
I took my plate to the table and sat down between Vivi and Mr. Cassidy. I cut a wedge from my pancake stack and put it in my mouth. Then I groaned out loud.
“What?” Vivi demanded.
“So good,” I said, swallowing. “Everything your mother ever cooked for me is just sogood.” I raised my eyes to Kira and then gave her the tiniest eyebrow wiggle.
With a look of warning, she turned quickly back to the skillet.
My phone vibrated, and I unpocketed it to see that Ethan had ordered a car for me for one hour from now.
One more hour. How was I going to walk out of here where everything was wonderful and justleaveagain?
Across the room, Kira’s land line rang. She snatched it off the counter. “Adam?” Her face relaxed as she listened to the caller. “Okay, honey. I will. See you then.” She hung up.
“How is he?” Kira’s father asked.
“He sounds good!” She smiled, lifting pancakes onto a plate for herself. “He said not to rush over there, because he felt okay, and he thought they’d discharge him around eleven.”
“My car comes in an hour,” I said.
Vivi looked up, a piece of strawberry in her teeth. “Can I go with you?”
“Not this time,” I said gently. “I have to go back to work. But I promise I’ll be back.”
